American India Foundation, others, building first 100-bed hospital in Pune

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The American India Foundation’s (AIF) COVID-19 relief achieved a new milestone helping meet the need for hospital beds in India.

It is partnering with other entities including Mastercard, and the state government of Maharashtra, to construct the first 100-bed COVID-19 portable hospital facility for the Rural Hospital Baramati, Pune District, a press release from the organization said.

Working with India’s Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) the hospital was selected to help relieve the infrastructure shortage in Pune, which has been hit hard by the resurgent COVID-19 wave.

The site is undergoing civil work, to prepare the location for the oncoming electrical, sanitation, and water requirements of the modular facility.

As part of a larger $8.9 million grant provided by Mastercard, AIF is constructing 2,000 such portable hospital units across 23 locations in 12 states of the country. The grant is estimated to help 3 million Indians gain access to healthcare, the press release said.

The Government of India’s PSA office is identifying cities and hospitals where additional portable beds need to be deployed. The site inspections for hospitals in 24 locations have been conducted with 20- 100 portable bed units to be constructed in each, all adhering to Fire safety guidelines and building codes, as well as being registered for standard drug control standards.

These modular facilities contain Intensive Care Units (ICU), equipped with oxygen pipeline and other lifeline devices along with general wards. Upon serving their purpose as part of COVID-19 emergency response, they can be used for disaster relief, shelter programs, or split up as micro-hospitals across rural areas, the press release said.